Unwanted Arrangement

3

Daksh Kulkarni

I can see the wheels turning in her head.

Ishika Ahuja. The shadow.

That's what they call her. The shadow of Ananya Ahuja and the beta to her alpha. That's what the media paints their relationship and personalities as. The Queen and Her General. They say Ananya is the mind behind the ruthless and underhanded moves of Ahuja Inc and Ishika was just acting as the face of those decisions.

Personally? I don't see it. Not just because so many of those decisions scream of an amateur but I have also met Ananya countless times, yet, if they were both in a room, my eyes would find Ishika Ahuja, even as a stranger. The life in her actions and the energy surrounding her would never be of a shadow's. She is all the vibrant colours of the rainbow. She is life herself.

I got hit with the force of that energy when saanvi crashed into her car, and I've acted like it barely bothered me. I blacked out for a second. Nightmares still haunted me of that night but the reality I live in scared me more. It was a string entwined with the devil in the back of my head.

I was pulled out of the call of my demons, at her voice and my demons disappeared like they were scared of her life. I wanted to know what it felt like to hold that much power that you could scare anything dark in your surroundings away.

"What do you need to talk to my mom about?" Ishika asked nervously, and I dreaded delivering this news to the girl of life. I could feel her heart racing. She is so f*****g easy to read. No wonder people are questioning her appointment as the ceo. Ruling the boardroom isn't easy. For someone like Ishika, who could barely conceal her emotions, it would be even harder. Entering the boardroom, being expected to fill the shoes of Ananya Ahuja? f*****g impossible.

Her family might as well have thrown her into a pool of piranhas.

"About our grandfather." I admit quietly, not sure how I should approach this. I don't know if she's aware of the history between our families. She could know nothing, and I'm hit with the realisation that my grandfather could be holding onto his life with a hope for people who loathe him or worse, are indifferent to him, and that in his last moments, no matter how much we love him, will never be able to give him the peace two woman he's asked for would give.

How would it feel to find out who you're longing for don't even care for your existence. Would it make you hold on stronger to fight? Or would it make you weak enough to give up altogether?

"I need to see your mom." We are here to meet her anyway. Piya is the only one who would understand. That was my hope before I got into the car, nervous to step into the house of the family where we're loathed.

"Ok. I'll call mom. Please sit down." Ishika orders her servants to bring us some water, and disappears upstairs.

Not long after, Piya comes rushing down the stairs, looking at me and saanvi with so much love and affection, it leaves me breathless. She made her way towards, holding my face in the palm of her hands before doing the same to Saanvi.

The familiarity with which this woman gazes at us would be confusing, if one didn't know the true history of our families. Which I understand Ishika doesn't, considering her confused face. I sighed, pained for my grandfather. I could picture the agony on my grandfather's face when he hears that Ishika wasn't aware of his relationship with her mom.

"The people I've wronged are many boy.....but none I regret as much as piya."

I remembered the pain in his voice to this day. I was never aware my grandfather had regrets. He was a man so sure of himself. But in his death bad, during his last stage of his life, he's not even in control of getting the people he loves to visit him.

I'm tempted to leave and close the door on any kind of union between the families. There could be no good from this. They've tried to burn the bridges in the past and the scars of that day are burned in the back of my mind.

Every Ahuja and Kulkarni left a trail of blood in their wake that day. Consumed by rage, madness and grief. Betrayal was the raging word lurking in everyone's mind and to this day, no one knew what was the cause.

The scars at the back of my mind are warning sirens, which felt like a signal by god to not do this again because history could repeat itself. If it happened twice, it will happen the third time. But the warm woman holding onto me and Saanvi, still wearing the other half of the bracelet my mom still stored in her secret cupboard propelled me to squash those fears and doubts.

She loved grandfather as much as my mom did. They at least deserved to spend grandfather's last days with each other, uncaring of the feud between the families.

"Grandpa is dying. Lung Cancer. He doesn't have much time left and wants to meet you." I blurt out, realising I'm stalling. The more I delay this news, the more time they stand to lose they could've spent together.

Who knew the value of time better than me?

My own voice bounced off the pale walls of the Ahuja Mansion, jingling chandelier sound filling the air.

Piya fell down on her knees, the sorrow, heartbreak and disbelief evident in her face. Ishika rushed to her mother, yelling out and Ananya Ahuja's mom, Sakshi Ahuja, came rushing forward with the commotion. A crease of her brow was the only indication of her confusion upon our sight in the ahuja mansion, before she noticed piya collapsed in the arms of Ishika and rushed forward.

Saanvi too, rushed forward to help but Sakshi quickly made it evident that our help was unnecessary when she clutched Anvi's hand and pulled her back from Piya and Ishika.

Over my dead body would I ever allow anyone to strong arm my sister in my presence.

I got between Anvi and Sakshi which forced Sakshi to let go of my sister's hand.

I merely stared her down, the displeasure in my eyes crystal clear.

"Get out of my house." Sakshi pointed to the door, the contempt in her gaze, blazing enough to curse our family to death, just as my mother warned."Your family honks the siren of death wherever you go. I better not see any Kulkarni in my home again."

I don't give her a chance to say another word and leave with anvi, despite her protests.

"We need to make sure she's okay, daksh." Saanvi argues, starting towards the mansion after we're out of the mansion.

I stopped her before she could do something that foolish.

"They don't need us, Saanvi. The Ahuja's believe we are the roots of their misery and us staying would do more bad than good."

Heart racing and mind scrambling, i get into the car and gesture saanvi to get in. She quietly opens the car door, head hanging low, dejected and gets into the shotgun.

I start the engine and rev the car out of the ahuja mansion, lost in my mind.

This hatred between our families was the star that would never stop burning. The promise made to a mother, the pride of a father, and the pain of a brother are the fuel to it.

"I'm sorry, Anvi." I apologized to Anvi, feeling like an asshole for treating her like a child, like she knew nothing."This hatred runs too deep in our families to hope they would take our hand even if it was offering help. We are not welcome there. Sakshi Ahuja couldn't have made it more clear."

"But Bhai," Anvi protested,"if this is the situation, how is grandpa going to meet piya maa."

I don't yet have an answer to that and wondered the same thing, but I don't believe the ahuja's are heartless enough to deny something piya ahuja desires.They would be abstaining her from the only parent figure in her life if they did.

"Don't worry, Anvi." I assured her big heart, with a pat on her head. "Grandfather's last wish will come true, and we'll make sure it does."

I was determined to go to any lengths to cool this burning ember of hatred.

"How?" Saanvi questioned, and I smirked in response.

"Schemers don't reveal their plans, you've just gotta see it lay out."

That was met with a pout and an eye roll, "why say "we" if you're not going to tell me jackshit."

"Careful," I warned her, "keep that language in check. We won't always be alone." Her pout got deeper, "And just because you're not aware of the schemes doesn't mean you're not in the team. Get your best disguise. We're going to do some spying."

"Just like old times?" Saanvi asked, her eyes shining like the sun and I couldn't help but be hit with a sense of nostalgia.

I can never get back the time I've lost with my sister, but I'll be damned if I don't make every memory count.

"Yeah," I admitted, smiling,"just like old times."

"But first, let me drop you off at work." She nods, humming to the new bollywood songs playing in the car. She carries around a pouch of pen drives and CDs for this purpose alone. Since she can't drive and doesn't have a car, she's been in situations where she was bored out of her mind during car journeys.

That's the story she told anyone who asked her about the pouch. I knew the truth. After all, if there's one thing the all Ahuja siblings were good at, it's keeping secrets.

I can't believe she's working in Bollywood of all places. My sister was always crazy about it and she's made her dream come true. As a brother, I couldn't be more proud.

"So, can I atleast now ask you a question about your life abroad?"

"There's a reason I didn't want to talk about it a week ago and that reason still exists Anvi." I bring the car to a slow skid as we reach the studio Anvi is supposed to go to. I wanted to go in, but I have to leave now if I hope to catch Ayush.

"There's your stop." I skim the car, to get all her belongings together and hand them over.

"You realise you will have to tell me one day, right?" She asked, glaring at me with the eyes that resembled my grandfather too much.

"Yeah." I sighed, tapping the steering wheel, anxious. "But not anytime soon."

Saanvi pursed her lips for a moment, before shuffling out of the car, shutting the door loudly that felt like a metaphorical slap.

I know she's mad. She's had hopes that I'll be back to being her fun, carefree brother who was her partner in crime and told her everything. I was the only one who treated her like an equal rather than a child in our house.

I shouldn't have left when I was given the chance. I should've asked to take her along. Maybe it's a good thing that I didn't.

I couldn't bear my sister looking at me like the monster I feel I'm.

My trance Is broken by my phone ringing, the screen displaying an unknown number. I pick it up, confused at who's the unknown number because very few people have it.

"Hello?" I picked it up and drew my car back onto the road, on my way to Malhotra Inc.

"We need to talk." A hoarse voice greets me, a shine of recognition scratching at my brain but unable to identify the voice.

"Meet me in the cafè near Ahuja Inc."

The call hung up before I could even respond.

Well, at least now I know it's Ishika Ahuja, trying to scheme my life in her way. Unfortunately, we've both got no choice but to do this for our loved one's. I've hoped she would love her mother enough to risk the wrath of Shakthi Ahuja finding out about the communications between the two families and she's proving me right in hoping so.

So far, so good. The game has just begun. Ishika Ahuja would be seeking answers and I've now got the right leverage against her to set my scheme into motion.